Management expert Gary Hamel once compared great design to pornography, because, to paraphrase Justice Potter Stevens, you know it when you see it. But does that mean you should be investing money in a professionally designed website for your business? Will that investment pay off? When it comes down to it, will a beautiful website win you more customers and earn you more money?
The research says yes, and here are five reasons why.
- A beautiful website makes a good first impression
In this digital age, your website is often your only chance to make a good first impression. Psychologists at Princeton say it takes only one tenth of a second for us to make up our minds about the people we meet. When it comes to websites, users make up their minds in half that time, about 50 milliseconds, according to research carried out by Google. And according to those same Princeton psychologists, it takes years to dethrone our original first impressions.
- A beautiful website inspires trust
When people were asked to report on which healthcare websites they trusted and why, 94% of factors mentioned for trusting or mistrusting a website were design related.
- A beautiful website makes users feel good about your brand
When asked how they felt about a set of websites, users reported feelings of satisfaction and interest when looking at the most visually appealing sites. This emotional connection between users and your site is key to creating a high-conversion website, because, as fMRI neuro-imagery studies show, we make up our minds about a brand based on our emotions rather than cold hard facts.
- A beautiful website makes users want to stick around
Human beings are biologically motivated to spend time around beautiful things. Beauty relaxes us. It can reduce stress levels by as much as 60 percent, according to one study cited in the New York Times. A beautiful website is a place we want to spend our time. And a place we want to spend our time is a place we’re more likely to spend our money.
- A beautiful website compels users to act
In 2009, a professor at Duke University demonstrated that we’re better able to absorb information when it’s presented in the shape of the golden rectangle, a rectangle whose side lengths are the golden ratio. German researchers have shown that just a quick look at certain shades of green can enhance motivation. And scans performed at Caltech reveal that attractive design can trigger the part of our brain in charge of hand movement. Beautiful, strategic design can help users better understand your message and then motivate them to act.
How B12 can build you a beautiful website:
As you’ve learned here, quality design is essential to producing a beautiful website that converts browsers into customers. An experienced company like B12 will create a well-designed website that better speaks to your customers and audience. All B12 websites are built by award winning designers and developers, and will be delivered to you for a fraction of the cost and time you’ll spend hiring an agency or trying to muddle through a DIY platform. To learn more, schedule a call!
